Indexing chuck



` F. HUNZIKER March 2s,^195o INDEXING CHUCK 5 lSheets-Sheet 2 `FiledJune 17, 1948A 5 ///m/ /NW/ INV T.. FRED HUN'KOR. BY l,

m w m n l Marcha28, 1950 F.,HUNZ|KER 2,502,260

INDEXING CHUCK Filed June 17, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. FRED HUNZI KER.

TTORNEYS.

Mara, 28, 1950 ...n HUMMER 2,502,260'l INDEXING cHucKv l Filed June 17,`194,8 1 5 sheets-sheet 5v l JNVENToR. FRED HUNZIKER.

TTORNE'YS.

Patented Mar. 28, 1950 U N I vS TAT'ES tifa Tlf. N T y10F F 'I CEINDEXING CHUCK .fF-red Hunziker, Cleveland, Ghio, assignorftmTheWeatherhead.Company, Cleveland, Ghio, a cor- Iporation of 'Ohio f,"Application-dune 17, 1948, VSerial No.` 335555 opened Land closed,Jthe-indexing 'wheel slides .along the *indexing rf-mechanism so thatthe .supporting bearingfblockmay be-iixed on the chuck body.

Another object. resides ,in ymaking the latching mechanism extremelypositive in its'action-and ,reducing its -tendencyvto spring the-parts,and in ...making armore'rugged and simpler-indexing'wheel .forassociation withl the. indexing andclatching mechanism. 7Ina preferredform, thisisaaccompl-ished -byi-makingthe-@indexing wheel a simpledevice having rfour; generally radial warms; one of which is encompassedby a notchsin .the -latclfiing mechanism Vfor1 positive. location`andanother of .'.which is.A engaged by. the .axially-extending. in-

dexing :paWl device. ...Means are provided where- ,by..the.,1atch..iswithdrawn :from the .indexing wheelon thepawl positioning stroke,theindexing .takingplace .on the reverse stroke. .The latchl is releasedforbearingagainst `theperiphery of the indexing arms-.atten a ...portionof .thewin dexing ,stroke hasjbeen ,completed and. so f. snaps intoplace firmly locatingthe `.jaws atfthe, completion V of the indexingstroke.

'Another object.-residesl in provision.. of simp1e means-foradjustingthe relative positionsof the jaws 'for gripping 4the. work.

v ".The mannerinwhichthe aforesaidobjectsand jadvantages `areaccomplished by a4 preferred' form zof the'invention will be madeclearbylthelfollow- `ing detailed "description thereof.

"In th'e drawings:

"`Fig; 1 is a perspective of the chuck;

Figi 2 is a view of thev `face of jthe chuck; AEig. 3 is a side viewthereof;

"ig Lis a side View taken at '90 toFig.`3; Fig.V 5 is a section .taken011545 of'FigLZ;

5a shows the eccentric jawadjuster: pin;

r'ii'ig.'6isa sectiontakenvon' 6-'6 ofiliig.' 2; and,

:"Figsf'-to 9:are 'fragmentary' views .showing 'vari-ous stepsinthe'-indexing: operation.

The chuck .includes several .major components; namely, a body B',indexing,- jaws. J1 .and J 2, .and indexing mechanism I,rlatchmechanismL and an actuatingv yoke,` mechanisxnrlY for theAindexing mechanism. lnaddition, jaw opening and. closingassembly O isprovided.

Thefbody Ill comprisesa generally cylindrical plate to -whichis fastenedxed jaw bearingblocks l. I I vand l2, and a -rearwardly extending.sleeve. I3

is bolted to the .plate lll bysuitable fasteners, i4.

.Sleeve i31may have thread means I5 fcr attach .ment to the spindle S of,alatheiorothenmachine `tool in accordance .with theusual` practice.

.The jaws J1and-J2 -.are formed in. accordance with .the requirements oftheshapeof 4.the .work

W, and are `mounted onthimbles I.6-slidably disposed in bores I5 inthebearing Yblocks I Land I2. Each `jaw is supported -by.an..indexing.wheelI'I including generallyradialarms Ila. attached to aspindle Itrotatablymountedby means-of anti- ,.friction bearingslilandlllinvthimblei. .The

l radially outerfportion ofeachthimblelis slotted as at .22 for`receptionof theopeningand closing mechanism.

vIn order to accommodate the -iaw open-ing '.mechanism, .bear-ing.blocks I I 4and .I 2 fare notched as.at..=39..andthe/body. plate. Illvas at,..3I, `there v4beingfa pair of .bell-.crank operator levers.32.piv- .otally mounted in .the .notches by` meansofan`adjustableeccentric. pivot pin-.33. Pivot pin..33

includes an veccentric cam .portionll disposed in arbore in lever 32,anda splined shank 35ifo1tma nipulation. Keeperblock 35asis broachedtore- .ceive-spline 35.and..fastenedinplace .in theY ,chuck.tomaintainthe adjustment. One endof each bell-crank is slotted as at 36to receive-a pin 31 xed ineach thimble I6 and theother end is .formedwith a cylindrical nose 38.

Mounting sleeve Edhasa central bore-as at 'l0 .for the 'slidablehmounting of arpiston member 4I. Member d! isrgrooved as at 42 toreceive nose portions 38 yof the bell-crank levers and` includes athreaded .stem d3 -for attachment to...a.'shank.'44 which'is operated'by a vuid' motor ,in the mannerknown inthis art.

In order `to operate. thefindexing mechanism .when Ythe chuck 'isrotatablymounted, aA grooved. 'collar E@ is slidably .mounted onvsleevel I3 and .keyed thereto as at 5I. vextend through suitableapertures in plate III,

,Three guiding .pins 52 and are bolted tothe ring 5u .by .means of4 areduced stem 53 and the cap screw 54. In the form shown pins 52 moveparallel to the axisof rotation of the chuck bodybut in the broaderaspects of the invention itis only essential that theymove normal to thegenerally radial arms ITa. In order to reciprocate the ring 5f) Whilethe chuck is turning, blocks 5B are fitted to the groove in the ring andare pivotally mounted in the yoke member 51 forming part of theactuating mechanism A. The yoke is pivoted to the frame as at 58 and mayhave a portion 59 for swivel connection with an actuating fluid motor6G. Of course, suitable controls for both fluid motors are provided,such controls being well known in this art.

The latch mechanism L inludes T-shaped member notched as at 6I toreceive any one of the arms Ila of the associated indexing wheel l'l.The shank 62 of latch L rests in a suitable groove in the block 64fastened to bearing block I2 and the latch is pivoted in the block byany suitable pivot means, such as 63. The latch is uiged towardengagement with the indexing wheel by means of a xed bolt G6 and aspring (il.

The fourth guide pin 52a mounts portions of the indexing mechanism I,there being a block 70 fastened thereto which carries a pawl assembly'll' that may be accurately located by means lof a tongue lla. Aspring-pressed pawl l2 is pivoted in block 'il by means of pin 'i3andblock 'H may also include a finger 'l5 that assists in positioningthe indexing wheel. Block 'H also is formed with a cam surface 'i8 forengagement with a cross pin 80. the other end of which is arranged towithdraw the latch mechanism by pressing against the shank 62 thereof.As seen in Fig. l, a suitable balancing weight 8l may be provided tosubstantially balance out the weight of the latch and indexingmechanism.

During the cutting or turning operations, the parts assume the positionshown in Figs. l to "I, inclusive. The notch Gl in the latch L fullyencompasses opposed faces of one of the radial arms Ila. Finger 15 onthe indexing mechanism engages the side of another of the arms andassists in locating the jaws. When indexing is initiated, actuatingmechanism A retracts collar 50 and pin 52a draws block l0 toward plateIl). During initial retraction, iinger l5 and notch 6l prevent rotationof the jaws, but simultaneously cam 18 urges pin 80 against shank '52 ofthe latch causing it to withdraw from the associated radial arm againstpressure of spring 61. The indexing wheel l1 cannot turn until the latchL is clear of the associated radial arm lla, and when this happens (asseen in Fig. 8) pawl 'l2 is disposed behind one side of the associatedarm Ha. The retractedposition before indexing is shown in Fig. 8. Thecontrol for the actuating motor 6B is manipulated to cause advance ofcollar 50 whereupon (as seen in Fig. 9) the forward face of the pawl 'i2engages one side of the radial arm Ha causing rotation of the jaws.Likewise, linger 'i5 soon engages another arm and assists in theindexing. Simultaneously cam surfaces 13 slide away from the end of pin8l) so that spring 61 can force the latch L toward the indexing wheel.As seen in Fig. 9, position is soon reached wherein surfaces of thelatch Lride on the periphery of one or more arms l'la, after which thecam surface can entirely clear pin 3l) and the latch will snap intoplace and firmly locate the approaching arm l'la when a quarter-turn hasbeen imparted to the indexing wheel. The parts again come to rest in theposition shown in Fig. '7.

It can be seen that the indexing mechanism is relatively simple andrequires no radial slides, racks and pinions and the like, and haslittle tendency to upset the dynamic balance of the 4 chuck when thechuck is mounted on a rotating spindle. Furthermore, the latchingmechanism L rmly locates the indexing wheel in a manner whereby there isno tendency for the parts to spring. Also, due to the fact that both theindexing and latch mechanism work different arms, and due to the factthat the arms are symmetrical, the arms or the notches between the arms(depending on how they are considered) can be made equal in number tothe number of index positions. This results in a sturdy constructionWithout requiring an increase in diameter of the indexing wheel toprovide for intermediate operating notches and the like. Also the factthat the arms are substantially radial increases their strength. Due tothat the latch mechanism is positively withdrawn by means controlled bythe indexing mechanism, rather than being forced clear by the indexingwheel, a very positive latching operation is effected.

The indexing wheel may be simple and rugged by utilizing opposed armsfor latching and indexing and by withdrawing the latch on the retractstroke on the indexing mechanism. The eccenric adjustment for thejaw-operating members is simple and effective and permits minoradjustments for various sizes of work, although the major adjustmentsare effected by properly proportioning the jaws J1 and J2.

Although I prefer that both jaws move relative to the body during theiropening and closing motions, it is obvious that one jaw may be fixed andthe other one moved relative thereto to grip and release the work. Also,those skilled in the art will recognize that many of the advantagesincident to the invention will be realized whether the chuck body berotatably mounted as shown in the preferred form, or fixed for use in amultiple machine tool such as the well-known Kingsbury machines.

Having completed a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that various changes and modificationsthereof may be made without departing from the essence of the'inventionand its mode of operation as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. An indexing chuck comprising a body for attachment to a machine tool,a pair of aligned chuck jaws mounted on said body for indexing rotationabout a diametric axis and for relative opening and closing motion alongsaid axis, means mounted on said body for opening and closing said jaws,an indexing Wheel for one of said jaws and having four equally spaced,generally radial arms, latch mechanism having a notch normallyencompassing one of said arms for positively positioning said one jaw,indexing mechanism mounted on said body for reciprocation normal to theaxis of rotation of said indexing mechanism, said indexing mechanismincluding pawl means for engaging the side of another of said arms toindex said jaw when moved in one direction, and actuating meansassociated with said indexing and latch mechanisms to withdraw saidlatch mechanism from the associated arm upon motion of said indexingmechanism in the other direction.

2. An indexing chuck comprising a rotatable body for attachment to arotary machine spindle, a pair of aligned chuck jaws mounted on saidbody for indexing rotation about a diametric axis and for relativeopening and closing motion along said axis, means mounted on said bodyfor opening and closing said jaws. an indexing wheel ro- "tatable withone of' said-'jawsand having a plurality of generally radial abutmentfaces, latch mechanism normally engaging opposed abutment facesr forpositively positioning said one'jaw, indexing mechanism mounted onsa-idfrotatabie body for recprocation parallel to the-axis ofrotationgthereof, said indexing mechanism. including pawl means forengaging said indexing wheel abutment surfaces to index said jaw whenmoved in one direction and actuating means associated with said indexingand latch mechanism to withdraw said latch kmechanism.upon motion ofsaid 'indexing mechanism in the other direction.

l 3. An indexing chuck comprising a rotatable body for attachment to arotary machine spindle, a pair of aligned chuck jaws mounted on saidbody for indexing rotation about aY diametric axis and for relativeopening and closingl motion along said axis, means mounted on said bodyfor opening and closing said jaws; an indexing'wheel for one of saidjaws and having four equally-spaced generally radial arms, latchmechanism-including an arm member having a notch normally encompassingone of said arms for positively positioning said one jaw, indexing 2,

mechanism mounted on said body for reciprocation parallel to the axis ofrotation thereof, said indexing mechanism including pawl means forengaging the side of another of said arms to index said jaw when movedin one direction, and

actuatingv means associated with said indexing and latch mechanisms towithdraw said latch mechanism from the associated arm upon motion ofsaid indexingy mechanism in the other direction.

4. An indexing chuck comprising a rotatable body for attachment to arotary machine spindle, a pair of aligned chuck jaws mounted on saidbody for indexing rotation about a diametric axis and for relativeopening and closing motion along said axis, means mounted on said bodyfor opening and closing said jaws, an indexing wheel for one of saidjaws and havingr `a plurality of abutment faces generally parallel tosaid diametric axis, latch mechanism normally engaging opposed abutmentfaces for positively positioning said one jaw, indexing mechanismmounted on said body for reciprocation parallel to the axis of rotationthereof, said indexing mechanism including pawl means for engaging saidwheel abutment surfaces to index said jaw when moved in one direction,and actuating means associated with said indexing and latch mechanismsto withdraw said latch mechanism upon motion of said indexing mechanismin the other direction, said, actuating means releasing said latchmechanism for engagement with the periphery of said arms after saidindexing mechanism has partially completed its indexing stroke.

5. An indexing chuck comprising a rotatable body for attachment to arotary machine spindle, a pair of aligned chuck jaws mounted on saidbody for indexing rotation about a diametric axis and for relativeopening and closing motion along said axis, means mounted on said bodyfor opening and closing said jaws, an indexing wheel for one of saidjaws and having a plurality of lil of saidv armsfto index. said jawlwhen moved: in one direction, and actuating means associated with `saidindexing-and latch mechanisms to withdraw said latch mechanism uponmotion of said indexing mechanism in the other direction, said actuatingmeans releasing said latch mechanism for engagement withthe periphery ofsaid arms after said indexing mechanismV has partially completed itsindexing stroke.

6. An indexing chuck comprising a rotatably body for attachment to arotary machine spindle, a pair: of aligned chuck jaws mounted on4 saidbody for indexing rotation about a diametric axis and for relativeopening and closing motion along said axis, means pivotally mounted onsaid body for opening and closing said jaws, an operator means foractuating said pivotallymounted means, means for adjusting the locationif saidr pivotal mounting relative to said body, indexing wheel for oneof said jaws and having a plurality of abutment faces generally parallelto `said diametric axis, indexing mechanism mounted onsaid body forreciprocation generally radial arms, latch mechanism having a paralleltothe axis of rotation of said body, said indexing mechanism includingpawl means for engaging said wheel abutment surfaces to index said jawWhen moved in one direction.

7. An` indexing chuck comprising a rotatable body for attachment to arotary machine spindle, a 'pair ofopposed jaw support members fixed tosaid body, a pair of aligned chuck jaws mounted on said jaw supportAmembers for indexing rotation about a diametric axis and for relativeopening and closing motion along said axis,

" means mounted on said body for opening and abutment surfaces to indexsaid jaw when moved in one direction, said indexing wheel moving axiallyrelative to said indexing pawl mechanism during opening and closing ofsaid jaws.

8. An indexing chuck comprising a rotatable body for attachment to arotary machine soindle, a pair of opposed jaw support members fixed tosaid body, a pair of aligned chuck jaws mounted on said jaw supportmembers for indexing rotation about a diametric axis and for relativeopening and closing motion along said axis, means mounted on said bodyfor opening and closing said jaws, an indexing wheel for one of saidjaws and having a plurality of abutment faces generally parallel to saiddiametrical axis, latch mechanism normally engaging opposed abutmentfaces for positively positioning said one jaw, a bore in said bodyparallel to the axis of rotation thereof, a pin slidable in said bore, acollar mounted on said pin behind said body, indexing pawl means forengaging said wheel abutment surfaces to index said jaw when moved inone direction, said indexing wheel moving axially relative to saidindexing pawl mechanism during opening and closing of said jaws, andactuating means associated with said indexing and latch mechanisms towithdraw said latch mechanism upon motion of said indexing mechanism inthe other direction.

9. An indexing chuck comprising a rotatable 715 body for attachment to arotary machine spindle,

a pair of opposed jaw support members fixed to said body, a pair ofaligned chuck jaws mounted on said jaw support members for indexingrotation about a diametric axis and for relative opening and closingmotion along said axis, means mounted on said body for opening andclosing said jaws, an indexing wheel for one of said jaws and having aplurality of abutment faces generally parallel to said diametrical axis,latch mechanism normally engaging opposed abutment faces for positivelypositioning said one jaw, a bore in said body parallel to the axis ofrotation thereof, a pin slidable in said bore, a collar mounted on saidpin behind said body, indexing pawl means for engaging said wheelabutment surfaces to index said jaw when moved in one direction, saidindexing wheel moving axially relative to said indexing pawl mechanismduring opening and closing of said jaws, and actuating means associatedwith said indexing and latch mechanisms to withdraw said latch mechanismupon motion of said indexing mechanism in the other direction, saidactuating mechanism comprising a cam movable with said indexing means,and a follower carried by the associated support member and engagingsaid latch means.

10. An indexing chuck comprising a body for attachment to a machinespindle, a plurality of chuck jaws mounted on said body for indexingrotation about a radical axis and for relative opening and closingmotion along said axis, means mounted on said body for opening andclosing said jaws, an indexing wheel for one of said jaws and having aplurality of abutment faces generally parallel to said diametric axis,means formed in said body for guiding a member in straight line axialmotion, rod means slidable along said guide means, pawl means movable bysaid rod means for engaging said wheel abutment surfaces to index saidjaw when said rod means reciprocates, and means to reciprocate said rodmeans, said index wheel abutment surfaces being of longer diametricextent than said pawl means and sliding therealong during opening andclosing motion of said jaws.

11. An indexing chuck comprising a body for attachment to a machinespindle, a pair of aligned chuck jaws mounted on said body for indexingrotation about a diametric axis and for relative opening and closingmotion along said axis, means mounted on said body for opening andclosing said jaws, an indexing Wheel for one of said jaws and having aplurality of abutment faces generally parallel to said diametric axis, agenerally axially extending aperture formed in said body, rod meansslidable along said g-uide means, pawl means mounted on said rod meansfor engaging said Wheel abutment surfaces to index said jaw when saidrod means reciprocates, and means to reciprocate said rod means, saidindex wheel abutment surfaces being of longer diametric extent than saidpawl means and sliding therealong during opening and closing motion ofsaid jaws.

FRED HUNZIKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 119,516 Hayden Oct. 3, 1871961,867 Kruz June 21, 1910 1,801,602 Hunzeker Apr. 21, 1932 1,878,320Potter Sept. 20, 1932 2,349,119 Sonle May 16, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 328,776 Germany Oct. 24, 1919 OTHER REFERENCESLawrence Bastrup, American Machinist, page 145, July 17, 1947.

